Harli Whitwell: “I do plan on coming back better than I was before. I want to make a bit of a statement.”

Harli Whitwell: “I do plan on coming back better than I was before. I want to make a bit of a statement.”

Harli Whitwell was a mere spectator earlier this month in Brentwood. Her sister, Shona Whitwell, won impressively on her Top Tier debut. In October, they could be on the same York Hall show. “I think to be on the same show as Shona would be amazing,” Whitwell told me over Zoom. “It would definitely get some eyes on it. We can go on this journey together.”

The journey begins again for Harli Whitwell in October. Johnny Clark is putting on another Top Tier card. Whitwell will be on it. In many ways, it’s been a long time coming.

The 26-year-old hasn’t fought since April 2024. A lingering knee injury eventually required surgery and extensive rehabilitation. The torn ACL has put the highly-touted lightweight prospect out of action for 27 months. But Whitwell can finally get her career going again.

“I go into training camp next month,” Whitwell says. “It’s all getting a bit serious now. It feels a little weird, because it’s been so long. I’ve been training hard for the last few months since I joined this new gym. Transitioning to a new way of training.”

Whitwell is now training with Reece Redmond for her long-awaited return to the ring. A new hook-up, that is in many ways, a new beginning for her. “I’m like starting from scratch again. It’s not that I am just coming back from an injury. I haven’t fought in two years. I feel like a newbie.”

There have been dark days for Whitwell over the last few years. The rehab was seemingly never-ending. There were plenty of doubts before Whitwell started to see progress. And hope. The 26-year-old believes the injury woes are now firmly behind her.

“My ACL is fully intact,” Whitwell told me. “I had another scan a few months ago just to make sure everything is fine, and it was ok to start upping my training. It definitely feels a lot better. I don’t think it will ever be a 100%. There will be little niggles along the way. But it’s really stable now. I am not even thinking about it now. Initially, I was holding back a little because I was worried about my knee going again. I had so much doubt, but that was all in my head. In the back of my mind, I don’t want it to go again, but I don’t think it will. But the more I am training, the easier it gets.”

“The reason it went was poor technique, which I am trying to iron out,” Whitwell added. “If I get that right, I should be alright. I am confident with it, and I need to put it all behind me. The more time that goes on, the less I think about it. It’s just becoming a distant memory.”

Johnny Clark has shown incredible unwavering support for his fighter. Clark signed Whitwell when she was still injured. He has full belief that he has a potential star on his hands.

“Johnny has been really good with me, putting out videos,” an appreciative Whitwell says. “I kind of hid myself away a little bit. I went off the face of the earth because I was stuck in a rut. There were times when I didn’t think I would come back. Your mind starts playing tricks with you when you are injured. So it’s good to have people around you who are still pushing you and making sure people don’t forget about you. It’s good that Johnny kept believing in me when perhaps I didn’t believe in myself.”

Harli Whitwell will return on October 25th at the iconic York Hall in London. Unbeaten in five fights. Whitwell will hope she can now find regular ring activity. Very much making up for lost time. The comeback fight will likely be a low-key six-rounder, before chasing titles in 2027.

“I don’t know who my opponent is; I need to have that discussion,” Whitwell says of her next fight. “It obviously won’t be a title fight; it will be a stepping stone for me, just to see where I am. I will be a bit rusty. But I do plan on coming back better than I was before. I want to make a bit of a statement. I want to stay active and get my name back out there.”